Ironer



L. RINGER May 4, 1943.

IRONER F'led Sept. 23, 1940 6 sheets-sneet 1 .nl/En Lur i Luz'hefRincgefi IRONER Filed Sept. 23, 1940 6 SheetS-Shee'b 2 /HVEH L'UI-1uheyRJJt/ger:

May 4, 1943.

JELEYFAEE Luther flygel).

May 4, 1943. r

.L. RINGER IRONER 2-,31s,4zz v Filed Sept. 23, 1940 fig-.8

6 Shee'cS-Shee*l 4 Luther Ringen/ L. RINGER 2,318,4 22.

Holumv Filed sept. 23. 1940 e sheets-sheet s May 4, 1943.

L. RINGER May 4,' 1943.

IRONER Filed Sept. 23, 1940 :6 Sheets-Sheet 6 i w 4 I x 4 w i nl' :I ii

;` h I r I rv: T'-

loz 5 v .Hz/En zur" Luther Ringer Patented May 4, 1943 r z,31s,422 IIRONEE Luther Ringer, Berrien Springs, Mich., assignor to NineteenHundred Corporation, St. Joseph, Mich., a corporation of New YorkApplication September 23, 1940, Serial No. 357,932

Claims.

This invention relates to -ironing machines, and more particularly toironing machines of the domestic or home laundry type. p

One common form of home laundry ironer comprises a power-driven paddedroll and a heated shoe, which are moved relative to each other to carrythem into and out of pressing engagement. As machines of this type areordinarily constructed, the roll is mounted on a stationary axis, whilethe shoe is rocked or otherwise shifted toward and away from the roll.Provision is usually made for rocking or shifting the shoe by powerderived from the same source that drives the roll. For this purpose aclutch is provided in the train of mechanism from the power source tothe shoe-Shifting member, and this clutch is generally arranged to beengaged under manual control and disengaged automaticallyupon-completion of the shoe-releasing Operation. In this way the clutchis thrown out whenever the shoe reaches either extreme of its movementstoward and away from the roll.

While the common practice is to rotate the roll at a constant speed,usually about six revolutions per minute, it has been found desirable toprovide more than one speed of Operation for the roll due to the factthat clothes and other articles to be ironed vary greatly in texture,dampness, etc.

Ironing machines of the type hereinabove referred to are also providedwith a safety release mechanism for disengaging the shoe from the rollvery rapidly in the event of an emergency. This safety release mechanismis usually provided with an operating lever which projects up asubstantial distance above the uppermost part ofthe heated shoe. It hasbeen found that a safety release operating lever of this characterprevents a compact cover construction to be used with the ironingmachine. One of the features of the present invention is to provide animproved safety release operating member which may be retracted to aposition below the uppermost part of the heated roll when the machine isnot in use and when it is desired to cover the roll and shoe. v

One of theprincipal objects of the present in'- vention is to provide anovel speed-changing mechanism.

-A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel ironingmachine embodying the above-referred-to highly desirablecharacteristics.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel ironingmachine which is economical to manufacture, simple to operate, andrugged and reliable in use.

Another and further object of the present invention is to provide anovel clutch mechanism for effecting rocking movement of the shoe whendesired. e

Another and still further object of the present invention is to providea novel safety release member and mounting therefor for disengaging theshoe 'from the roll.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel ballclutch speed-changing mechanism.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My inventionitself, however, both as to-ts method of operation and manner ofconstruction, together'with further objects and advantages thereof, maybest be understood by reference to the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a domestic ironing machineembodying the teachlngs 4 -of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the ironing machine shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view throughv the ironing machineshowing the shoe-release lever. in elevation;

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the shoe-release lever and associatedmechanism, with the heated shoe removed;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the shoe-release member andmounting as taken Figure 9 is a. view similar to Figur'e s, but with vfthe driving mechanism set to operate at a different speed and theeccentric arm in an "up position with the clutch disengaged;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the driven gears in aneutral position;

Fgure 11 is -a sectional view through the smaller of the two drivengears as taken -along the line XI-XI of Figure 9; i

fingers 36 and 31 and Figure 12 is a fragmentary view of the trip leverand mechanism as taken along the line XII-XII of Figure 7;

Fgures 13, 14, and are fragmentary sectional views of a modified form ofthe gear shift shown in Figures 8 to 11, inclusive;

Figures 16 and 1'1 are fragmentary sectional views similar to Figures 13and 14 but illustrating a third embodiment of the presentI inventioninsofar as the gear-Shifting mechanism is concerned.

Figure 18 is a sectional view of the emergency release lever assemblytaken along` the line XVIII--XVIII of Figure 5; and

Figure 19 is a Vertical sectional view through the right-hand plungershown in Figure 13.

The domestic or household ironing machine shown in Figures 1 to 12 ofthe drawings illustrates one embodiment of the present invention andincludes, in general, a Supporting stand 2l, on which is mounted arotatable padded roll 22 and a heated shoe 23 which is arranged to bemoved into engagement with the padded roll 224 to perform the pressingor ironing Operation.

X Power for driving the padded roll 22 is obtained from an electricmotor 24, which is mounted on the underside of the table top 25 of thesupport- -ing stand 21.

The padded roll 22 is mounted for rotation on a stationary stub shaft26, which projects approximately half way through the roll 22. Whileonly a portion of this stub shaft 26 is shown (Figure 8), it is to beunderstood that the padded roll is suitably journaled on this stationarystub shaft 28 for rotation therearound. As will also be clear from aninspection of Figure 8, the stationary stub shaft 26'is carried on thehousing 21, which encloses the speed-changing and clutch mechanismpresently to be described.

Figures 3, 4, and 5'of the drawings illustrate one manner in which theheated shoe 23 may be carried on the Supporting stand 2l. A rotatableactuating shaft 28 is mounted below the table top 25 of the support-.ingstand 2| .and extends from a point below and immediately behind thecasing 21 to approximately the middle of the supporting stand 2I. Shaft28 extends through a housing 28, which is carried by a pair of brackets38 (only one of which is shown in Figure 4) A rocker arm 3l is journaledfor free movement on the shaft 28 and is held in place against the endof the housing 28 by an end plate or washer 32 and a nut 33, which isthreaded onto the end of the shaft 28. The rocker arm 3l is of U-shapedcross section with the opening portion thereof facing forward. As may beseen best in Figures 3 and 4, the rocker arm 3| projects upwardlythrough the table top 25 to a position behind and slightly above thepadded roll 22.

Rigidly secured to the shaft 28 and disposed inside the lower portion ofthe U-shaped rocker 1 arm 31 is a casting 35. The upper end of thecasting 35 has two short fingers 38 and 31, finger 31 being somewhatlonger than the finger 38. A pawl-engaging pin 33 extends between the isarranged to be engaged which is pivotallyV carried on a pin 4l mountedin the rocker arm 3l. The pawl 40 is normallybiased downwardly by asuitable spring 42. When the shoe-operating shaft 28 is rotated in acounterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3 of the drawings, thepin 39 on the casting 35 engages the shoulder 43 on the pawl 48 andforces-the rocker arm 31 forwardly.

by a pawl member 40,

A relatively heavy col spring 44, which is under compression, extendsbetween the casting 35 and the rear wall of the rocker arm 3l, it beingheld in place by a protuberance 45 in the wall of the .1 -arm 3! at oneend and by a recessed portion 48 in the casting 35 at the other end.When the operating shaft 28 is rotated in a' clockwise direction, asviewed in Figure 3, the casting 35 is carried with it and forces therocker arm 3l along with it through the medium of the coil spring 44.

The heated shoe 23 is provided with a bracket 41, which projectsrearwardly therefrom through the rear wall 48 of the shoe 23 intopivoted engagement with the rocker arm 3l. The pivoted engagement isprovided by a pin 49, which is carried by the rocker arm 3| and held inplace by spring rings 50 at each end carried in grooves in the pin 48.An upper casting member 5l is journaled on the pin 48 and includes acylindrical socket portion 52, through which an operating rod 53 extendsand a tail portion 54. A connecting link 55 extends from the tailportion 54 of the casting 5l down into engagement with a slot 56 in thepawl 40. It will-be understood that when the casting 52 is rocked in aclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3 of the drawings, theconnecting link 55 raises the pawl 40 to disengage the shoulder 43 fromthe pin 38. The heavy coil spring 44 thereupon forces the rocker arm 3!rapidly rearwardly (in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 3) andcauses the heated shoe 23 to swing back from the roll 22.

The operating rod 53 loosely extends through a cylindrical Vbore 51 inthe upper portion of the casting 52, as may be seen best in Figure 5.The lower end of the rod 53 is provided with a collar 58, which limitsthe upward movement thereon. The rod 53 is also provided with a pin 59,which is arranged to engage a shoulder 68 provided by counterboring theOpening 51 in the casting 51. A longitudinally extending slot BI isprovided which permits the pin 43 to pass through the upper portion -52of the casting 5l when the rod 53 is rotated to properly position thepin'53. The upper end of the rod 53 is provided with a knob 82 whichenables it to be quickly grasped or engaged by the hand of the personoperating the ironing machine.

The above-described type of emergency release mechanism, andparticularly with regard to the manner in which the operating rod orhandle is telescoped through the casting 5l, enables this operatinghandle 53 to be retracted to the position as shown by the dotted' linesin Figure 4 when the ironing machine is not in use. This' enables thisparticular type of release mechanism to-be used with an ironing machinehaving a cover which fits closely and compactly over the roll 22 and theheated shoe 23. InFigure 6 of the drawings I have shown an ironingmachine with a cover 83 hingedly mounted on the supporting stand 2| bysuitable hinges 54. It will be noted that the operating rod is in aretracted position so that the knob 82 is in a position which enablesthe cover 83 to be closed. In all the other figures of the drawings thecover 53 has been removed for purposes of clarity in illustration.

The mechanism for driving the roll and operating the shoe issubstantially all contained within the housing 21, which is carried onthe supporting stand 2l. Turning first to Figure 6, it 'will be observedthat' the motor 24 is carried by a bracket 85 on the under side of thetable to'p 25 of the Supporting stand 2I. The rotor shaft 66 of themotor 24 is provided'with a drive pulley 61 and connects through abelt-drive 68 to a driven pulley 69. The driven pulley 69 is mounted ona protruding end portion 18 of a worm 1I. The worm 1I is journaled inshoulder portions 12 and 13 formed in the casting which constitutes the'housing 21.

The worm 1I is in constant mesh with`a worm Wheel 14, which is looselymounted on a hollow shaft 15. The worm Wheel 14 has secured thereto, atoothed clutch disc or star wheel 16 which forms an integralpart of 'theworm 'Wheel 14. This clutch disc 16 is continuously rotated so long asthe worm 1I is being driven.

Cooperating with the toothedclutch disc 16 is a clutch pawl assemblywhich includes a casting 11 mounted on and rigidly secured to the shaft15, a clutch pawl 18, and a clutch pawl lever arm 19. The clutch pawl 18and the clutch pawl lever arm 19 are both pivotally mounted on thecasting 11 by means ofva common pin 88. They are held in place on thepin 88 by means of a washer assembly including a spring washer I98 and arigid 'washer I9I, the washer's being held in place by the end I92 of aspring 83 which is hooked through a hole in the end of the pin 88. Aswill presently be referredl to again, the springwasher assembly I98 andI9I applies friction on the pawl 18 to prevent undesired ratcheting orcontacting of the clutch disc or ratchet Wheel 16. The clutch pawllever` arm 19 is shaped tostraddle the toothed clutch disc 16. Theclutch pawl ward movement of theclutch `pawl 18. Due to v the fact thatthe clutch pawl lever 19 straddles the clutch disc 16, outward 'movementof the clutch pawl 18 would be limited by the engagement o'f the'left-hand portion of the lever 19 against the clutch disc 16, if theedge of the opening 85 were not employed asr a stop. A spring 83 ishooked into the inner end of the pin 88 and extends down into engagementwith a pin 84 on the lever arm 19. This spring 83 normally biases thelever arm 19 in a clockwise direction with respect to the casting 11 andthe hollow shaft 15, as viewed in Figure '1 of the drawings. The' leverarm, in turn, bears against the ear 82 on the pawl 18 and causes it tofall into one of the cut-out portions of the toothed clutch disc 16. 82of the clutch pawl is in engagement with the toothed portions of theclutch disc-16,.the casting 11 and theshaft 15 are rotated with.the wormwheel 14.4 If, however, the clutch pawl ear 82 is disengaged from 'theclutch disc 16, the casting 11 and the shaft 15 will no longer rotatewith'the worm wheel 18.

As will presently appear. the clutch pawl lever arm assembly is employedto control the movement of the heated shoe 23 toward and away from thepadded roll 22 and is also employed to start and stop the rotationalmovement of the padded roll 22. This control function is brought aboutby controlling the position of an eccentric 86 rigidly secured on theend of the hollow shaft 15 (see Figures 6, 8, and 9).

The particular eccentric construction shown It will thus be understoodthat when' the ear in the various flgures of the' drawings is-vin theform of a circular'metal disc having a hole 81 for -fitting over theshaft 15 which is disposed in an eccentric position thereon. Two pockets88 on opposite sides of the diameter including the hole 81 are providedfor the reception of felt or other fibrous oil packings 89. Lubricatingpassageways 98 are provided through the side wall of the circular discfrom the pockets 88 to 'the peripheral surface of the disc forming theeccentric 86. As is clearlyshown in Figure 9, for example, the eccentric88 may be looked to the shaft 15 by means of a set screw 9l.V The -setscrew 9I is contained in a well 92, the lower portion of which isthreaded as at 93. The upper portion of the well 92 is designed toreceive a felt or fibrous oil packin'g 94, which-further serves tolubricate the peripheral surface of the eccentric 86.

Surrounding the eccentric 86 is a strap member 95, which is in the formof a casting having an upper portion machined to fit around theeccentric 86. This upper portion of the` strap member 95 is slit. as at96. The slit portions of the member 95 are connected together by a longbolt 91 which has a coil spring 98 slipped thereover between the head ofthe bolt and the ad'lacent portion of the strap member 95. The vbolt 96is held in place by a suitable nut 99.

The lower end of the strap member 95 carries a long threaded connectingrod I88 having a shoulder I8I thereon which Bears lagainst a sheet metalarm I82 of U-shaped cross section Which is rotatably mounted on the endof the rotatable actuating shaft 28. A coil spring I83 'is disposed'over the end of the connecting rodI I88.on the lower side of the sheetmetal arm 'I82 and is held in place by av suitable nut I 84.

Tightly mounted on the end of the rotatable actuating shaft 28 andmovable therewith is a crank arm I85. This crank arm I85'is disposed tolie between the side walls of the arm I82. A

I long bolt `I86. which passes freely through the arm I82. is threadedinto the end of the crank arm I82. A cap or other suitable washer I81 iscarried by the bolt adjacent its head, and a heavy coil spring I88 ismounted between this cap member I81 and the arm I82. This heavy coilspring I88 tends to force the arm I82 tight.- ly against the crank armI85. When the eccentric 86 is rotated to the position shown in Fig--ures 6 and 8, the connecting rod l88 is forced downwardly. Downwardmovement of the connecting rod I88 rocks-the arm I82 in acounterclockwise direction. as viewed in Flgureof the drawings. Sincethe heavy coil spring I88 tends to' keep the crank arm I against the armI82, the crank arm I 85 is also rocked in a counterclockwise direction,as viewed in Figure 6 of the drawings. This carries the heated shoe 23toward the padded roll 22 until it is stopped thereby. Continualdownward movement of the connecting rod I88 now tends to separate thearm I82 from the crank arm I85 and thereby load' the coil spring. I88.This creates the desired Pressure between' the heated shoe 23 and thepadded roll 22 for effecting the -ironing operation. When the cam 86 isin its lowermost position. as shown in Figure 6. the spring I88 isloaded and the heated shoe 23 i's performing its pressing function. 'Thedegree of pressure exerted by the heated shoe 23 against the padded roll22 may be conveniently adjusted by screwing the bolt I86 more or lessinto the crank arm 185, thereby varying the extent. to which the spring108 will be loaded by the downward movement of the connecting rod 100when driven by the eccentric 86.

When the cam 86 is rotated 180 degrees, or, in other words, moved to itsuppermost position,

as shown in Figure 9 of the drawings, the heated lever arm 19 are alsorotated in a clockwise (ii-- rection. If something is placed in the pathof the clutch pawl lever arm 19 as it rotates in a clockwise direction,this lever arm 19 moves over against the ear 81 of the clutch pawl 18and lifts the ear 82 out of engagement with the clutch disc 16. Theclutch disc 16 then continues to rotate, but motion of the clutch pawlassembly, including the casting 11, has ceased. Since the eccentric 86moves in unison with the casting 11 (both being connected to a commonshaft), it will at once be apparent that the angular position of theeccentric 86 may be controlled by placing an obstace in the path ofmovement of the clutch pawl lever arm 19 so as to cause it to rock aboutits Supporting pin 80 to engage the clutch pawl 18 and lift it out ofengagement with the clutch disc 16.

This is provided by mounting a finger 161 on the casing 21 and providingthe finger 161 with a bent end portion 162, which projects into the pathof movement of the clutch pawl lever arm 19. As is clearly shown inFigures 7 and 12, the control flnger 161 is mounted on and lockedagainst movement of a short shaft 163, which extends through the casing21 and which has a suitable control knob 168 on its outer end. A spring165 biases the finger 161 to a position in which the bent end portion1621 lies directly in the path of movement of the end portions 166 and161 of the clutch pawl lever arm 19 and in which the bent end portion162 also lies against a stop member 190'. The stop member 190' is boltedto the hou'sing as at 191'. The finger 116 is mounted for rockingmovement by a manual depression of the projecting finger-tipl portion168 of the knob 166 (see Figures: 1 and 7). The end portions 166 and 161are so designed that their leading edges 169 and 110 lle in an imaginaryline passing through the center of rotation of the casting 11 and are180 degrees apart.

The Operation of the control mechanism for the clutch pawl leverassembly will be apparent from a careful inspection of Figure 7.Assuming that the worm Wheel 14 and the clutch disc 16 are being drivenin a clockwise direction from the worm 11, we find the leading edge 189of the end portion 166 of the clutch pawl lever arm 19 in engagementwith the bent end portion 182 of the control finger 161. In thisposition the 'clutch pawl lever arm 19 is holding the clutch pawl 18 outof engagement with the clutch disc 16. and the casting 11 remainsstationary. In this position the eccentric 06 is in a "down" P- ition,as shown in Figures 6 and 8 of the drawings, and the heated shoe 28 isin tight pressing engagement with the padded roll 22.

If the finger-tip control lever 168 is now momentarily depressed, thebent end portion 162 of the finger 161 moves `out of engagement with theclutch paw1 lever arm 19, and the biasing spring 83 causes the clutchpawl lever arm 19 to bear against the ear 82 of the clutch pawl 18. Thiscauses this ear 82 to drop down in the first slot which passes beneathit, and the clutch pawl assembly is now looked for rotation with theclutch disc 16 and the worm 14. When the pawl 18, the pawl lever arm 19and the casting 11 are rotating with the clutch disc or ratchet Wheel16, the left-hand portion of the pawl lever arm 19 (as viewed in Figure'1) is in its maximum angular position away from the casting 11 and theear 82 of the pawl 18 is in one of the slots of the clutch disc 16.Rotation of the clutch pawl assembly, including the casting 11,continues until the leading edge '110 of the next end portion 161 of theclutch pawl lever arm 19 Vadvances into engagement with the bent endportion 162 of the control finger 161. At the moment of time when thepawl lever arm first strikes the stop or finger portion 162 the pawl isstill in engagement with the clutch disc, and hence the casting 11continues to rotate causing a counterclockwise movement of the pawllever arm 19 about the pin on the casting 11. This 'relative movement ofthe pawl lever arm 19 with respect to the casting 18 causes the pawl ear82 to be lifted out of the clutch disc slot in which it has been seated.The spring washer assembly 190 and 191 creates enough friction to holdthe pawl up in its kick-up position to prevent it from contacting theclutch disc or ratchet wheel 16 and thus prevents any undesiredclutching or ratcheting on the clutch disc 16.

The above described clutch mechanism and assembly' for selectivelyconnecting the worm wheel 14 to the hollow shaft 15 and particularly thepawl mounting is one of the important novel features of the presentinvention.

A control lever 169', which is arranged to be engaged by the knee of theoperator of the ironing machine, may be employed, if desired, forcontrolling movement of the finger 161. This knee-operated lever 169f ismechanically cou pled to the shaft 163, on which the control knob 168 ismounted in any suitable manner (not shown).

As has previously been pointed out, it is desirable to stop the rotationof the padded roll 22 whenever the heated shoe 23 is withdrawn frompressing engagement therewith. Since the starting and stopping of thepadded roll 22' is a function of the 'position of the heated shoe 23,the control therefor may be conveniently provided to act in response tothe positionof the cam 66. Before reference is made to the details ofthis control mechanism, which operates in response to position of theeccentric 86, the general construction by which the padded roll 22 isdriven from the worm wheel 14 will be described.

The padded roll 22 is driven through a large gear 109, which is boltedto the end of the roll frame, as at 110. The large gear 109 isconstantly in mesh with a pinion gear 111 keyed or otherwise rigidlysecured on the reduced end portion 112 of adrive shaft 113. The driveshaft 118 is Journalen in a sleeve bearing 114` which, in turn, isheldlin an opening 115 in the housing 21. Rotatably mounted on theopposite end of the shaft 113 from the end on which the pinion trip 111is mounted are a pair of gears 116 and 111. Each of the gears 116 and111 is shown as being provided with separate hub portions 118 and 119,respectlvely, upon which the outer portions of each of the gears aresweated or otherwise rigidly secured. These gears 116 and 111 may beselectively placed in driving cooperation with the drive shaft 113 by aball clutch mechanism presently to be described.

Gears 116 and 111 are constantly in mesh with a cooperating set of gears120 and 121, which are .rotatably mounted on a sliding sleeve bearing orbushing 122. As is clearly shown in Figures 8 and 9 of the drawings, thegears 120 and 121 are prefj erablyformed integral with each other from asingle piece .of metal to form a single one-piece unit. The sleevebearing or bushing 122 is mounted -on the hollow shaft and arrangedforlimited axial movement thereon. i The face of the gear unit 120, 121which lies opposite the worm Wheel 14 is provided with jaw clutch teeth123, Which cooperate with a complementary set of jaw clutch teeth 124formed on 'the worm wheel 14.v It will thus be understood that wheneverthe jaw clutch sleeves 123 and 124 are 'in engagement with each other,the gears 120 and .hollow shaft 15 and is provided with a semisphericalend 121, which bears against a cam plate 128. The cam plate 128 ismounted on the outer face of Vthe eccentric strap 95 by means of aplurality of 'bolts- 129. Oil rings 130 are preferably provided in thehead portion 131 of the control shaft 125 and cooperating lubricatingports 132, '133 and` 134 are provided through the hollow shaft 15, thesleeve 135, in which the hollow shaft is mounted, and the end plate 136of the housing 21, respectively. 4

The sleeve bearing or bushng 122, upon which the gears 120, 121 arerotatably mounted, is keyed or pinned to the control shaft 125 as at131. It Will thus be understood that bylongitudinally or axially shiftedthe control shaft 125 the jaw clutch teeth 123 may be engaged anddisengaged from the jaw clutch teeth 124 of the worm Wheel 14. The camplate 128 is so constructed that When the eocentric 86 is in itslowermost position, as shown in Figures 6 and 8,-

the control clutch shaft 120 is in its extreme right-hand position (asviewed in Figure 8), and the jaw clutch teeth 123 are in lockingengagement with the complementary jaw clutch teeth 124 of the worm Wheel14. When the eccentric 86 is rotated through 180 degrees, or to its upvclutch teeth on the worm Wheel 14. In this position the gears 120 and121 come to rest, and rotation of the padded roll 22 stops, since it isno longer being driven from the worm Wheel 14. i

The gear unit 120, 121 is retained 'in desired position on the sleevebearing or bushing 122 by providing a shoulder 138 at one end of thesleeve bearing 122 and by a-washer and lock ring 138 and 140,respectively, at the other end. v

AS win at once be understood by those skineo in the art, thetransmission formed by gears .1,16, 111, 120, and 121 provides atwo-speed drive i tated at a different speed due to the different gearratio between mating gears 116 and, 120 and the other set of gears4111and 121.

A novel ball clutch mechanism is provided for I selectively connectingeither gear 116 or gear 111 to the drive shaft 113. One detailedembodiment of this construction -will now be described. f

In Figures 8 to 11 of the drawings, it will be observed that a ballclutch control shaft 141 is slidably mounted in an axial bore or'recess142 formed in the end of the drive shaft 113. This ball clutch controlshaft has an intermediate deep-cut flat shoulderI 143 and two fiat endshoulders 144 and 145. Openings 146 and 141 are provided through thedrive shaft 113 under the hubs 118 and 11-9, respectively, of gears 116and 111. The ball clutch control shaft 141 is keyed to the drive shaft113, as at 148, so as' to 'prevent relative vrotation between the ballclutch control shaft 141 and the drive shaft 113. The key 148 may beheld in place in any suit- :ligge manner such as by means of a set screwA shallow, circumferentially disposed channel is formed on the radialinner faces of thehubs 118 and 119, as at 150 and 151. Mounted withineach channel 150 and 151 are a -plurality of partitions 'or walls 152,which make a smooth running flt with the drive shaft 113 (see Figure11).'

A pair of balls 153 and '154 are carried in the assembly'in the openings146 and 141. When one of these balls is pushed up throughgone of theopenings 146 and 141, the ball is engaged by one of the walls orpartitions 152, and thereafter the drive shaft 113 will be driven by thegear carry-` ing the projection engaging the ball. When the ball isdropped down so that no portion'thereof projects out through the driveshaft 113. the

gear will rotete froely around the drive shaft 13 without driving thesame. The shoulders 143, 144, and on the ball clutch control shaft 141provide a convenient mechanism for forcing the balls 153 and 154upwardly through the openingsl 146 and 141 when desired. When thecontrol'141 is in' the position as shown in Figure 10, both of the balls146 and 141 are seated on the Intermediate deep-cut shoulder 143. Forthat reason, both of the gears 116 and 111 are free to rotate on thedrive shaft 113 and will not drive the same. This represents the neutralposition of the ball clutch control shaft 141. It will be observed froman inspection of Figure 11 that since the balls 153 and forced back intothe openings 146 and 141 by the partitions 152 unless positions by oneof the shoulders 144 or 145.

When -the ball clutch control shaft 141 is moved to the right to theposition as shown in Figure 8, the 'ball 153-rides up off the shoulder143 and onto the shoulder 144. In this. position,'the gear 116 Will -beconnected to the drive shaft 1 13 through one of its partitions 152, theball 153, and the wall of the' Opening 146. The ball 154 is still seatedon the deep-cut intermediate shoulder 143, and for that reason gear fromthat of 116, will not be connected in driving engagement with the driveshaft 113. This represents the lowspeed connection for the roll drive.

When the ball clutch control shaft 141 is movedto the position as shownin VFigure 9 of the drawings,,the ball 153 moves down onto the deep-cutIntermediate shoulderl143, but the ball 154 rides up onto the shoulder145 and causes a driving 154 never come quite half wayl out of theopenings 146 and 141, they will be positively held in their outer 111,which is being roi connection between the gear 111 and the drive shaft113. This provides the high-speed drive for the roll 22.

Movement of the ball clutch control shaft 141 is obtained by providing aplurality of circumferentially extending ribs or ring fianges 155,

which mesh with a small pinion 156. The pinion 156 is mounted on a shaft151, which passes through a wall of the casing 21 and carries aspeed-selection control knob 158 (see Figure 7). The shaft 151 isconveniently mounted in a boss 159 carried by the casing 21, and a pin166 is provided on the shaft 151 for limiting the turning movement ofthe shaft 151.

It will, of course, be understood that whenever the drive shaft 113 isrotated the ball clutch control shaft 141 is also rotated so that theribs or ring fianges are rotating between the teeth of the pinion gear156 (without, of course, turning the pinlon) The manner in which theshoe 23 is heated forms no part of the present'inventlon, and for thatreason details of its construction are not shown. It will, of course, beunderstood that this shoe is heated preferably by suitable electricheating coils mounted therein and energized through a cable 116, whichis connected through a switch 111 to a source of electric energy. Aseparate switch 112 is preferably provided for the motor 24.

The Operation of the lroning machine above described is relativelysimple. The ironer is started by switching on the motor control switch112 and the coil heating switch 111. The heated shoe 23 is in a positionaway from the padded roll 22. With the heated shoe 23 in this position,the eccentric 86 is in the position as shown in Figure 9. Assuming thatthe clothes or articles to be ironed are only moderately damp and that ahigh speed is desired, the control shaft 141 is moved to its innermostposition by the knob 158. This forces the ball 154 up into the channel151 of the gear 1 11. as shown in Figure 9, and thereby places the gear111 in driving connection with the drive shaft 113, which is directlygeared to the padded 'roll 22.

. Since the eccentric 86 is in its uppermost position, the control shaft125 has been forced to 'its innermost position in the hollow shaft 15,and the jaw clutch teeth 123 are out of engagement with the :law clutchteeth 124. This, of course, means that the gear 121 is stationary, andthe padded roll 22 is idle.

The article to be pressed is now laid on top of the padded roll 22, witha portion thereof slightly below the heated shoe 23. The finger-tipcontrol lever 168 is depressed momentarily. This causes the eccentric 86to be rotated 180 degrees in the manner previously described in detail.Rotation of the eccentric 86 causes theheated shoe 23 to be rockedforwardly into tight pressing engagement with the padded roll 22. Italso causes the bulged-out portion of the cam plate 128 to be movedopposite the semi-spherical end 121 of the control shaft 125. Under theaction of the spring 26, the sleeve bearing or bushing 122 r`is shiftedaxially along the hollow shaft 15, which causes engagement of the jawclutch teeth 123 with the jaw clutch teeth 124. This causes a drivingconnection from the worm Wheel 14 through the transmission to the paddedroll 22.

If it is desired to stop the rotation of the padded roll 22 `while theshoe 23 is still in tight engagement therewith, the control knob 158.is'

moved to a position to cause the control shaft 141 to assume theposition shown in Figure 10 of the drawings. In this position the ballclutch is in its neutral position, and both of the gears 116 and 111 arerotating idly on the drive shaft 113.

If it is desired to change from a high speed to a low speed of rotationof the padded roll 22, the control knob 158 is moved to a position tocause the control shaft 141 to assume the position shown in Figure 8 ofthe drawings. This causes the gear 116 to be operatively connected tothe drive shaft 113.

Whenever it is desired to lift the heated shoe 23 from the padded roll22, the finger-tip control lever 168 is momentarily depressed, and thiscauses the pawl clutch assembly to rotate 180 degrees, or until one ofthe end portions 166 or 161 of the clutch pawl lever arm 19 strikes thebent end portion 162 of the control finger 161. It will, of course, beremembered that every time the clutch pawl lever assembly rotates 180degrees, the ecoentric 86 also rotates 180 degrees.

In Figures 13, 14, and 15 I have illustrated a modification of thegear-Shifting ball clutch assembly which is described in connection withthe preferred embodiment of this invention. More specifieally, a .pairof plungers 113 and 114 are employed in place of the balls 153 and 154.The central portion of the control shaft 141 is cut back to form a flatbar portion 115. An intermediate shoulder 116 is cut into the barportion in the same manner as the intermediate shoulder 143 is formed inthe preferred embodiment of the invention. Two end shoulders 111 and 118are provided by the upper edge of the bar portion 115 on either side ofthe intermediate shoulder 116. shoulders 111 and 118 are connected toshoulder 116 by a sloping side portion.

The plungers 113 and 114 are slotted out to enable them to be seated instraddling engagement over the bar portion 115 of the control shaft 141.The inner end of the slot formed in each of the plungers 113 and 114 hasa fiat shoulder portion 119 and an inclined shoulder portion 186. Asectional view through plunger 114 is shown in Figure 19. The plunger113 is the same as plunger 114, but With the inclined portion reversedwith respect to the flat portion 119.

The flat portions 119 of each of the plungers 113 and 114 are arrangedto be seated on one of the shoulders 116, 111, or 118, depending uponthel position of the control shaft 141 in the axial bore of the driveshaft 113. The inclined portions 1811 of the plungers 113 and 114 form acam surface Which causes the plungers 113 and 114 to ride up and downthe sloping connecting surfaces between shoulders 111 and 116, and 118and 1 16. The ends of the plungers 113 and 114 are slightly tapered asat 181 to enable the partitions 152 to force the plungers tightlyagainst the bar portion 115 of the control shaft 141.

Figure 14 ofthe drawings illustrates the speedchanging mechanism in itsneutral position with both of the plungers 113 and 114 out ofengagementwith the gears 116 and 111. Figure 13 of the drawingsillustrates the low-speed gear in driving connection with the driveshaft 113. To place the high-speed gear 111 in driving connection withthe drive shaft, the control shaft 141 is moved to its extreme innerposition in the end of the drive shaft 113, thereby causing the plunger114 to ride up onto shoulder 118 and plunger 113 to fall down onto theintermediate shoulder 116.

A further modifioation of the speed-changing mechanism is shown inFigures 16 and 1'1 of the asiaeaa drawings. In this case, a rocker arm|82 is empioyed having 'rounded or ball-likevends l83 and 184. Thisrocker arm l82 is preferably pivotally seated on a snap ring l93 whichretains it l n desired position with respect to shaft MI. The rounded orball-like'ends l83 and l8l correspond to the balls 153 and i54 of thefirst embodiment of the invention and to the plungers |`I3 and Ill ofthe second embodiment of the invention. The

-central portion of the control shaft MI includes a deep-cut portionIB5, two intermediate shoulders l86 and 181, which are connected to thedeep-cut portion 185 by 'sloping surfaces, and two outer shoulderportions I 88 and i89, which are formed'by the outer surface of thecontrol shaft Ill.

It will be noted that in this form of the invention an extra deep-cutcentral portion is necessary which does not appear in the form of theconstruction shown in Figure 6. This becomes necessary due to the factthat when one ball-like ure 16 of the drawings has the ban-uke end lason the upper shoulder l88, which places the low speed gear HG in drivingconnection with the drive shaft ll3. The opposite end of the rocker arml82, namely, the ball-like end l84, is down in the.deep-cut centralportion 185. In Figure 17 of the drawings, rocker arm l82 is in itsneutral position, and bothof the gears HG and l.| 'I are free on thedrive shaft il3. The highspeed gear Ill is placed in connection with thedrive shaft ll3 by moving the control shaft to its innermost position inthe end of the drive shaft li3, which cause'snthe ball-like end -IBI toride up on the top shoulder l89.

While I have shown particular embodiments of my invention, it will, ofcourse, be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto, sincemany modifications may be made, and I therefore contemplate by theappended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the truespirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

rotatable roll, a heated shoe movable into ironing engagement'therewith,and driving means rotating said roll; a two-speed transmissioncomprising a support, a drive .shaft mounted on said `support and drivenby said drivingV means, a

driven shaft mounted on said support and connected to drive said roll, acountershaft carried by said support, a set of of gears rotatablymounted on said driven shaft, a second set of gears integral with eachother and rotatably and slid- .ably mounted on said countershaftcomplemenof gears andsaid worm wheel having mating jaw clutch teeth onopposed faces and disengageable upon sliding movement of said 'secondset of gears on said countershaft, and ball clutch means between each ofsaid first gears and said driven shaft for connecting one of said firstgears in driving relation therewith, and means for selectively actuatingsaid ball clutch means.

i 1. In an ironing machine of the type having a rotatable roll, a heatedshoe movable into iron- 'ing engagement therewith, and driving means forrotating said roll; a two-speed transmissionl with each other andslidably mounted on said countershaft complementary to and meshed withsaid first set of gears, a worm Wheel rotatably mounted on saidcountershaft, said drive shaft including a worm meshed with said wormwheel, said second set of gears and said worm wheel having mating jawclutch teeth on opposed faces and disengageable upon sliding movement ofsaid second set of gears on -said countershaft, and means forselectively eonnecting one of said first set of gears to said drivenshaft, thereby to drive said roll from said driving means at a selectedspeed depending upon which of said first gears is connected to saiddriven shaft. I

2. In an ironing machine of the type having a 3. A driving 'mechanlsxnfor an .ironing vmachine which includesa support, a hollow shaftjournaied in said support, a driving member rotatably mounted onsaidshaft, a sleeve bearing axially movable on said shaft. a drivenmember mounted for rotation only on'said sleeve bearing, clutch meansbetween said driving and driven members, a control shaft slidablycarried in said hollow shaft and connected to said sleeve bearing,whereby upon` axialmovement of said control shaft said clutch means isdisengaged, spring means on said hollow shaft-acting against saidcontrol shaft to urge said clutch means in operative engage'ment betweensaid driving and driven members, and an eccentric mounted on said hollowshaft and secured thereto a cani plate secured to said eccentric andbearingV against the' free end'of `said .control shaft, said cam platebeing shaped to force said control shaft to one extreme axial positionwhen said eccentric is in one-position, and to fpermit said controlshaft to be moved by saidvspring to its other extreme axial positionupon rotation of said eccentric through .substantially 180 degrees, andclutch means for connecting said eccentric to said driv- 'ing member.

4. A' clutch assembly comprising. a shaft to be driven, -a ratchetwheelrotatably mounted on` said shaft, means for rotating said ratchet-Wheel, a pawl Supporting member mounted on and secured to said shaft, apawl, a pin carried by said support substantially parallel to saidshaft, said pawl being angularly movable on said pin into and out ofratchet engagement with said ratchet wheel, a pawl lever armV mounted onsaid pin and movable angularly ratchet wheel, and friction means forholding said pawl out of ratchet engagement with said i ratchet Wheelwhen said pawl lever arm has a pawl supporting member mounted on andse-' cured to said shaft, a pawl, a pin carried by said supportsubstantially parallel to said shaft, said pawl being angularly movableon said pin into and out of ratchet engagement with said'ratchet Qwheel, a pawl level arm mounted on said pin and movable angularlythereon, said pawl 'havratchet engagement With said ratchet Wheel andupon engagement with the other of said spaced portions causing movementof said pawl out of ratchet engagement with said ratchet Wheel, andfriction means for holding said pawl out of ratchet engagement With saidratchet Wheel when said pawl lever arm has moved said pawl to anunclutched position.

6. A clutch assembly comprising a shaft to be driven, a ratchet Wheelrotatably mounted on said shaft, means for rotating said ratchet Wheel,a pawl Supporting member mounted on and secured to said shaft, 'a pawlhaving a pair of spaced ears proiecting substantially parallel to saidshaft, a pin carried by said support substantially parallel to saidshaft, said pawl being mounted for limited rotational movement on saidpin, a pawl lever arm extending between said ears, said lever arm beingmounted on said pin for limited rotational movement, a spring normallyurging said lever arm into engagement with one of said ears to move saidpawl into ratchet engagement with said ratchet Wheel, said lever armbeing movable against the action of said spring to engage the other ofsaid ears and lift said pawl out of ratchet engagement.

7. A clutch assembly comprising la shaft to be driven, a ratchet Wheelrotatably mounted on said shaft, means for rotating said ratchet 0,,

Wheel, a pawl Supporting member mounted on and secured to said shaft, apawl having a pair of spaced ears projecting substantially parallel tosaid shaft, a pin carried by said support substantially parallel to saidshaft, said pawl being mounted for limited rotational movement on saidpin, a pawl lever arm straddling said ratchet Wheel and extendingbetween said ears, 'said lever arm being mounted on said pin and havingrelative movement with respect to said pawl between said ears, a springnormally urging said lever arm into engagement With one of said ears tomove said pawl into ratchet engagement With said ratchet Wheel, saidsupport, said lever arm, said pawl and said shaft beingr rotated withsaid ratchet Wheel when said pawl is in clutched engagement therewith,and a member movable into the path of movement of said lever arm as itrotates with said shaft, said member causing relative angular movementbetween said lever arm and said support, and Which movement of saidlever arm with respect to said support lifts said pawl out of clutchedengagement With said ratchet Wheel.

8. A clutch assembly comprising a shaft to be driven, a ratchet Wheelrotatably mounted on said shaft, means for rotating said ratchet Wheel,a pawl Supporting member mounted on and secured to said shaft, a pawlhaving a pair of spaced ears projecting substantially parallel to saidshaft, a pin carried by said support substantially parallel to saidshaft, said pawl being mounted for limited rotational movement on saidpin, a pawl lever arm straddling said ratchet Wheel and extendingbetween said ears, said levei` arm being mounted on said pin and havingrelative movement with respect to said pawl between said ears, a springnormally urgng said lever arm into engagement with one of said ears tomove said pawl into ratchet engagement With said ratchet Wheel, saidsupport, said lever arm, said pawl and said shaft being rotated withsaid ratchet Wheel When said pawl is in clutched engagement therewith, amember movable into the path of movement of said lever arm as it rotateswith said shaft, said member causing relative langular movement betweensaid lever arm and said support and Which movement of said lever armwith respect to said support lifts said pawl out of clutch/:d engagementWith said ratchet Wheel, a spring washer mounted on said pin and holdingsaid pawl and said 'lever arm frictionally against said support andagainst each other, and retaining means on said pin for holding saidspring washer in desired position, the friction created by said springwasher being such as to hold said pawl out of ratchet engagement withsaid ratchet Wheel When said pawl lever arm has moved said pawl to anunclutched position.

i 9. A driving mechanism for an ironing machine which includes asupport, a hollow shaft journaled in said support, a driving memberrotatably mounted on said shaft, a sleeve bearing axiallymovable on saidshaft, a driven member mounted for rotation only on said sleeve bearing,clutch means between said driving and driven members, acontrol shaftslidablycarried in said hollow shaft and connected to said sleevebearing, Whereby upon axial movement of said control shaft said clutchmeans is disengaged, a ratchet Wheel connected to said driving mem'.;erfor rotation therewith, a pawl Supporting member mounted on and securedto said hollow shaftv a pawl pivotally mounted on said support forangular movement into and out of ratchet engagement with said ratchetWheel in a plane substantially perpendicular to said shaft, a pawl leverarm pivotally mounted on said support, said pawl having spaced portionsengageable by said lever arm, said lever arm having relative movementwith respect to said pawl between said spaced portions and uponengagement of one of said spaced portions causing movement of said pawlinto ratchet engagement with said ratchet' Wheel and upon engagementwith the other of said spaced portions causing movement of said pawl outof ratchet engagement with said ratchet Wheel, control means movableinto the path of rotation of said lever arm as said lever arm rotatesWith 'said shaft, thereby causing angular movement of said lever armWith respect to said support to lift said pawl out of ratchet engagementWith said ratchet Wheel, and cam means secured to said hollow shaft andengageable With said control shaft upon rotation of said hollow shaft tomove said control shaft axially inwardly, thereby causing said clutchmeans between said driving and driven member to be disengaged.

10. A driving mechanism for an ironing machine which includes a support,a hollow shaft journaled in said support, a driving member rotatablymounted on said shaft, a sleeve bearing axially movable on said shaft, adriven member mounted for rotation only on said sleeve bearing, clutchmeans between said driving and driven members, a control shaft slidablycarried in said hollow shaft and connected to said sleeve bearing,whereby upon axial movement of said conr`trol shaft said clutch means isdisengaged, spring means on said hcllow'shaft acting against saidcontrol shaft to urge said clutch means into operative engagementbetween said driving and driven members, an eccentric mounted on saidhollow shaft and secured thereto, a cam plate secured to said eccentricand bearing against the free end of said control shaft, said cam platebeing shaped 'to force said control shaft to one extreme axial positionwhen said eccentric is in one position and to permit said control shaftto be moved by said spring to its other extreme axial position uponrotation of said eccentrc through substantially 180 degrees, a ratchetWheel connected to said driving member for rotation therewith, a pawlSupporting member mounted on and\secured to said hollow shaft, a pawlhaving a pair of spaced ears projecting substantially parallel to saidIhollow shaft, and pivotally mounted on said support for angularmovement in a plane substantially perpendicular to said hollow shaft, apawl lever arm pivotally mounted on said support extending between saidears, a spring extending between said lever arm and said support fornormally urging said lever arm into engagement with one of said ears tomove said pawl into ratchet engagement with said ratchet whel, andcontrol means for causing said lever-farm to be moved against the actionof said spring into engagement with the other of said ears to lift saidpawl out of ratchet engagement, said cam plate being intermittentlyadvanced through steps of 180 degrees, thereby to shift said clutchmeans into and out of driving connection between said driving and drivenmembers.

LUTI-IER. RINGER.

